Welcome to Suburbia
by ickle-s-10
Summary: TITLE CHANGE. USED TO BE NEW SCHOOLS IN CT. a DIFFERENT future kids story: Angel, Collins, and their daugter, NOT AN INFANT for once, move to Connecticut. And their daughter has to deal with homophobes and fitting in. au, obviously. Last chapter up!
1. Chapter 1

**I know that there's about a million future kid stories out there, but this one's different. The only "future kid" mentioned in this will be Carlie, Angel and Collins' teenager. The other "bohemians" will be in here, but not until much later. Also, this story is going to deal a little bit with homophobes, because although we all love fics where someone calls Angel and Collins fags, Angel tell them off, Collins beats them up, and they skip off merrily on there way, I'm getting slightly sick of them. So this kind of show that homophobes are people too. Just ignorant ones.**

**This is au for a gajillion reasons, and it's about 15 years postrent. Carlie calls Angel "Angel" because I couldn't really see her calling her anything else. Carlie's last name is Schunard because I don't want it to be Collins, because that's Collins name.**

**And I mean no offensive toConnecticutians in this story. It was the first state that popped into my head.**

**I don't own RENT. **

"Everyone, I am very happy to announce that we have a new student. Carlie, would you like to stand up and tell everyone a little bit about yourself?" My social studies teacher was obviously excited that she had a new brain to manipulate.

I sighed as I stood up; I always hated people staring at me. "Umm, well, my name is Carlie Schunard. I'll be fourteen in a few months. My parents and I moved here from New York City."

As I paused, I heard a couple of murmurs around the room; obviously these people thought that I had to be a least a _little _interesting if I'd lived in New York City. Little did they know it had been Alphabet City. "Uh, we moved hear because of my dad's job. He's a college professor. And, umm, I like to play the drums. And I like math."

I quickly sat back down, thinking to myself: _Also, my parents are both gay, and my mom, or whatever you want to call her, I don't know, my dad's life-partner, my other dad, my Angel, is a drag queen. My parents' best friends are lesbians, ex-druggies, and former strippers who used to throw fire out the window when they got bored._ But it wasn't like I was going to tell everyone that on my first day here. I doubted that most of these people had ever even met someone who was gay.

"Well Carlie, I hope you like Connecticut. If there's anything you need here; feel free to ask me or one of your new classmates," my teacher, Mrs. Ralley, or Raillery, or something, said. "We're just staring a new unit on Mesopotamia. Amy, do you want to explain to Carlie what we've covered in the past few weeks?" A short, preppy-looking girl with long blond hair and brown eyes nodded, and waved me over to her seat. I picked up my binder and walked over to her, tucking my straight brown hair behind my ear as I went.

"Hi, I'm Amy," she told me with a smile. "Honestly, in the past few weeks all we've covered is a load of crap about the first humans or something, so I really don't need to tell you anything about it."

"That's fine," I answered. "So, umm….what do you have next period?" I asked. _Great going Carlie. That's the best question you can think of?_

"I have math next, then art," she told me. "What about you?'

"I have to check," I said as I got my schedule out. "Let's see, it looks like I have science next. Then art. I don't have math until seventh period."

"Oh, you're in honors math?" Amy asked with her eyes wide.

"Yeah," I told her. "My dad helps me a lot. He's like a computer genius."

"That's cool," she answered. "What about your mom? You didn't really mention her yet."

"Oh, uhh, she's a musician," I answered, already feeling disgusted with myself. I hadn't even been at this school for an hour, and I was already lying about my parents. But something told me that people weren't going to be as accepting here as they were in Alphabet City. "Her name's Angel." Well, at least the last part was true. "My dad's name is Tom, but everyone calls him Collins. It's his last name," I said, trying to get the subject off Angel.

Amy smiled, and was about to reply when—

BEEEEEEEEP!

"That's the bell," Amy explained, seeing my shock look. "You'll get used to it. Eventually. Well, I'll see you in art. Bye!"

"Bye," I told her. I had passed what looked like science rooms on my way upstairs to social studies, so I had a pretty good idea on where to go. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my books and headed down the stairs, to six more periods of torture.

After getting lost twice, repeating my "Hi-I'm-Carlie-I'm-from-New-York-I-play-the-drums" spiel six more times, eating lunch with Amy and her friends (who I soon learned were all very nice, but a were a little too "giggly, and toocaught up in their own world), and lying to about five more people about my "mom", the school day was finally over.

I found a seat on the school bus, sat down, and leaned back, glad that I was finally going home. Behind me, I could clearly hear two boys talking.

"Dude, you know Steve Walters? That guy is such a _fag_. Did you see that shirt he was wearing today?"

"Yeah. G-d, that fag is so weird. I can't believe he actually has a _girlfriend_."

"He does? Who would go out with him? He's just so _weird_……"

I felt my stomach clench. Even though Alphabet City had been pretty accepting of gays, I wasn't immune to homophobes. Or people saying 'fag.'

In the back of my mind, I knew that I should have just turned around and told those boys that there was nothing wrong with being gay, and just because you're "weird" didn't even _mean_ that you're gay, and that you should _never _call someone a fag. But I didn't. I guess I figured that they wouldn't listen to me. Or maybe I just wanted to fit in. I wasn't sure. But I couldn't help but seeing Angel in my position. _She_ would shut those boys up………

My stop was the last one on the bus. When I finally got off, I suddenly didn't want to go home as much as I had before I got on the bus. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that I had somehow betrayed my parents. With a funny feeling still in my stomach, I walked in the front door of our new house.

"Carlie?" I heard Angel call. I forced myself to smile as Angel came into the family room. Since she had spent the last couple of days unpacking, she hadn't had time, or the need, to dress in drag. So, she was just wearing jeans and a tight white and pink t-shirt, with minimal makeup. And no wig. "Hi sweetie," Angel said as she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, even though I couldn't help but feel that I didn't deserve it. "How was your first day?" she asked.

"Oh, it was pretty good," I replied. "My teachers were all basically okay. They were all excited to have a new student. And I talked to this girl Amy that was pretty nice……" my voice trailed off.

"That's good," Angel said to me with a smile. "Remember honey; don't be too shy around these people. That'll just make it harder to make friends."

"Yeah, I know," I answered. "So, when did Dad say he'd be home?"

"I think pretty soon, because he doesn't start teaching until next week, so he's just setting up his room and stuff today," Angel told me. "Probably just putting up pictures of his two _gorgeous_ girls." I couldn't help but smile. "Now come one sweetie. Let me get you a snack, and then I'll do your nails.

"I'm not really that hungry," I answered. That _was_ true; whenever I felt guilty about something I could never eat."

Angel gave me a scrutinizing look. "You sure honey?" She asked. I nodded. "Well okay, then we'll just skip to the manicures." I smiled, and followed Angel upstairs, still trying to shake off the guilty feeling.

**Like it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Want me to continue? Please tell me! I have a pretty good idea on where this is going, but I will listen to suggestions. I know the ending to this chapter was terrible, but I really couldn't think of anything else. Also, if you guys have any suggestions for a better title, please please tell me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so, so much to everyone who reviewed! Obviously, I'm adding on. But don't expect daily updates all the time, because I almost never have time to write every day. This chapter picks up right where the last one left off.**

**I don't own RENT.**

"So," Angel said to me as she started painting the first coat of light purple on my nails, "What else happened in school today? You didn't really tell me that much……"

"Um…….I don't know," I answered. We were both sitting in the bathroom; me on the closed toilet seat, Angel on the hamper. "I told you that I talked to that girl Amy. She was okay. So were her friends. It's just that, I don't know, people are different here."

"What do mean, sweetie?" asked Angel as she started on my left hand.

"They just seem more……_sheltered_, if you know what I mean." Angel opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but then closed it. "They're just, like, caught up in their own worlds," I continued. "Like, if I tried to explain to them about what Alphabet City is like, and how many people there are there that are homeless, they wouldn't really get it. And I feel like if I tried to tell them about AIDS, and how much of a problem it still is, they wouldn't understand. Or really care."

"Well honey," Angel said as she looked up from my nails, "You have to remember that, in a way, that's kind of true. I mean, I'm sure that the people here _care_ the homeless and AIDS, but to most of them, it's like a separate world. They don't know much about it."

"I guess you're right," I told her. "It's just that—"

RRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGG!

"I'll get that," said Angel as she jumped up. "Don't touch anything, those are still very wet." Angel got up and walked out of the room. I couple seconds later I heard her pick up the phone. "Hello?" she asked. A few seconds pause, and then—

"MIMI!" I swear, even if Angel is going to be forty in four years, she still act like she's my age some times. "Hi honey! Yes, we're all fine. Mmm hmm. Yeah, she started school today. I think she liked it. But you know, first day are always hard. No, he's at work. I know; he's just setting up his classroom and office today. Yes, I think he'll be home soon. So how's Roger? Really? Wow, that must have been nice. Are you serious? Mimi, you _bad_ girl." _Oh G-d_, I thought._ They're talking about Mimi and Roger's sex life. Eww. If Angel starts talking about hers and Dad's………_

But thankfully, she didn't. "But anyway," Angel went on, "How's Mark? Oh, well that's good. And Maureen and Joanne? That's nice." I heard Angel start walking back into the bathroom where she had been doing my nails. 'Mimi' she mouthed at me.

'I know,' I mouthed back.

"Alright," Angel said into the phone. "Okay, so I'll talk to you later. Carlie's right here; do you want to talk to her? Okay, here she is." Angel handed me the phone, and then walked out of the room.

"Hi Mimi," I said as I put the phone up to my ear. Even though my parents' friends were all much older than me, I still got along with them very well. They never treated me like I was a baby, or like I was too young to hear something, so I always liked them. Mimi and I got along especially well, since she was the closest to my age. Also, Mimi always told me that I was the reason that she gave up smack; when my parents told them that they were adopting, Mimi hadn't wanted her best friends' kid to be around drugs.

"Hey Carlie," Mimi said to me. "How's Connecticut?"

"It's okay," I answered. "I miss the city though. And you guys."

"We miss you too. But how was your first day at school? Sucky?"

"Not too sucky," I replied, "But it still wasn't all that amazing. I talked to a few girls though. And my teachers were okay."

"Well that's good," Mimi told me. "Remember, don't be too shy. It's much easier to make friends if you talk to them first, instead of waiting for them to come to you." And some people say that Mimi and Angel have nothing in common.

"I know. I'm not being _that_ quiet. I'm sure that things will get better though," I said.

"There you go. Just stay positive."

"I'll try. I'll talk to you later, okay Mimi?"

"Sure Carlie. Bye!"

"Bye," I said into the phone before I hung up. Just then, Angel came back into the room.

"You ready for your second coat?" she asked me. I nodded. "Okay," Angel said as she sat down in front of me again. "Now, what was it you were saying before the phone rang?"

"Oh, it was……nothing. Don't worry about it," I said as the guilty feeling in my stomach started to return.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, my dad offered to drive me to school because he had an early class. After what had happened the day before on the bus, I was very quick to take up his offer.

"Dad?" I asked him as we pulled out of the driveway.

"Mm hmm?" he answered.

"You grew up in New York City, right?"

"Yeah, you know that," he replied.

"Well, when you were younger, like my age, did anyone ever, I mean, did the kids at your school ever say, I mean, did anybody at your school ever call you………"

"Carlie?" asked my dad skeptically as my voice trailed off. "What do you mean?" I glanced over at him. From the look in his eyes I could tell that he had some idea where our discussion was going.

"Oh, umm, never mind," I finished lamely.

"Are you sure?" asked my dad hesitantly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure." We rode the rest of the way to school in silence. When we finally got to school, I unbuckled, picked up my backpack, and opened up the car door. "Bye Dad. Love you," I said.

"Love you too baby. See you later." I got out of the car, shut the door, and my dad drove off.

"Carlie!" I heard someone yell. I turned around to see Amy running toward me. "Hi! Coming back for a second day?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, my parents are making me."

"So, who was that that was just driving you? I saw you get out of the car."

"That was my dad," I answered. "I'm adopted," I added, seeing the look of confusion on her face.

"Oh, okay," Amy said. We started walking into the school. "That's a _really_ cute skirt," she told me as we started up the stairs. "Where'd you get it?" I looked down, not remembering what I had put on.

"Oh yeah, thanks," I replied. "Angel made it."

"You mean your mom?" she asked confusedly.

"Um…yeah," I answered. "I call her Angel because……I'm not sure. I just do." And that funny feeling had made itself right at home in my stomach again.

**I realize that this chapter was slightly pointless, but I needed to write it. I think that this whole story is only going to be about 6 chapters long, maybe a little longer or shorter. It depends. Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. If you guys have any suggestions or anything, please let me know and REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter "sets the scene" for the rest of the story. You'll see what I mean. **

**Kathleen is based off of one of my friends. (Sorry "Kathleen" if I didn't portray you very well. And if I made fun of ballroom dancing.) Carlie's entire school is based off of my school. One of the reasons I wrote this was because I was sick of all the ignorant homophobes at my school.**

**I don't own RENT. **

**Tell me if you get the Fiddler on the Roof reference. **

A month into school in Connecticut, and not much had changed.

I mostly just talked to Amy, who I had three classes with (social studies, art, and English), and her friends. Amy was okay, but she was also really concerned with outward appearances (which I was all too familiar with, considering who one of my parents was). But, unlike Angel, she didn't seem to think there was much more to a person's character than what they looked like. Also, Angel was the type of person who you could tell honestly cared for everyone's well being. She was always nice to _everyone_; if a skinhead had harassed her in New York, she would tell me later that she felt bad for them because they were so closed minded. Amy, on the other hand, would pretend to be nice to a lot of people, but then afterward would tell me how much she hated them. To top it all off, Amy, along with everyone else in the school, was still under the false impression that Angel was my mother.

So, all in all, I wasn't overly upset when Amy wasn't in school one Friday, and I found myself talking to a different girl, named Kathleen, in art class.

"So," Kathleen asked me as we started to try to draw abstract self portraits, "you moved here from New York, right?"

Already, this conversation was headed in a direction completely different from any that I had ever had with Amy: Amy usually talked about herself more than she asked question about my life. "Yeah," I answered.

"That's _so_ cool," Kathleen said as she looked at me. "I love New York. It's so much more, like, _diverse_ than here. There're just so many different types of people. And they're all so different. Unlike here, where everybody is exactly the same. Or at least tries to act the same."

"I know what you mean," I told her as I started to draw one eye much bigger than the other. "I lived in Alphabet City; that's like the _center_ of diversity."

Kathleen's huge brown eyes widened. "Really? I've always wanted to live there. From what I've heard, people just seem less prejudice."

"That's kind of true," I said. "I mean, there are still a bunch of people there that treat all gays like pieces of shit, and who think that everyone who's homeless is trash, but it's still much more, I don't know, just more accepting than here."

"I know what you mean," Kathleen replied as she tried to keep her long brown curly hair out of her face. "This place is the worst. Especially middle school. At least next year, when we're freshman, I've heard that people stop trying to be someone their not so much."

"Who told you that?" I asked.

"I have a bunch of friends from doing ballroom dancing," she told me. I gave her a funny look. "I know that it sounds awful, but it's really just _so_ much fun. And most of the people there are like, theatre-y people, so they're just so much more _real_ than the people in middle school. I mean, they've stopped trying to pretend to who they're not. It's a nice change, trust me."

"Don't worry, I trust you," I said to Kathleen. "So……who else does ballroom dancing?"

"Well, not many people that go to this school. There are a couple that are my age that go to private school or something, but most of them are high schoolers. It's mostly girls too, but there are a few guys. Most of them are gay though."

I'll admit it. I was shocked. I mean, it wasn't like I thought that everyone in Connecticut was straight or something, but I guess it just never occurred to me that I wasn't the only person in the school who new someone who was gay. But it wasn't just that that was shocking me though. Here I had been for the past month; hanging out with girls that didn't understand me and probably never would, when the whole time here was this girl that I got along with a hell of a lot better than I had with Amy. It suddenly occurred to me that Kathleen wasn't really the type of person I had to hide things from. I was pretty sure that if I told her the true about my parents, she wouldn't really care.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to speak. "Yeah," I started to say. "My parents are—"

BEEEEEEEEP!

That fucking stupid bell.

"What was that you were saying?" Kathleen asked as we quickly got up to grab are books.

I sighed. "It was— it was nothing. Never mind."

I went through the rest of the day with mixed feelings. I couldn't decide if I should have told Kathleen about my parents or not. On one hand, it would have been nice to tell someone the truth about myself. Especially someone who wasn't going to judge me on it. But on the other hand, I couldn't even be sure that Kathleen _would_ be okay with my parents being gay. I could never really tell with most people. On the other hand, I had already told so many people that Angel was my mother, I didn't even know how to reverse all the lies I had told. But on the other hand— well, I had no more hands.

When I got to English that day, I was surprised to see Amy there. My teacher, Mrs. Green, had put my seat next to hers on my first day. So, when I went and sat down next to her, I asked her why she hadn't been in art this morning.

"I was sick this morning, but my mom drove me in late," Amy answered.

"Oh, okay," I said to her. In class, we were halfway done with presenting our projects on To Kill a Mockingbird. Our teacher called a kid named Mike to the front of the room to present his project.

"Oh G-d, that guy is _so_ gay," Amy muttered to me as he walked up to the front of the room.

"Mm hmm," I muttered back, as my stomach plummeted to the floor. Why did people have to say things like that? After Mike's presentation, which I wasn't able to pay attention to at all, the phone in our classroom rang. Mrs. Green picked it up, said a couple "mm hmms" and "yeses" and hung up.

"Carlie?" she asked. "Could you come up here for a second?" Wondering what on Earth was going on, I walked up to my teacher's desk. She lowered her voice slightly, but it was still loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Carlie, that was your, umm, well, actually I'm not quite sure who that was, but he, I mean she, I mean, well, it sounded like man, but……"

"You mean Angel," I told my teacher. I could feel everyone's eyes pressed against the back of my head, wondering what this was about. "She's my, well………" Taking a deep breath, I decided the only way out of this was to tell the truth. "My—my parents are gay, and Angel's a guy, but she dresses like a woman a lot and she _is_ basically my mom, but………" Behind me, the room was completely silent.

"Well, he— I mean she, I mean………well, Angel says that h— she won't be home after school today, but you're not supposed to worry; she just has a few errands to run." My teacher was obviously flustered and embarrassed, but it was nothing compared to how I felt.

I turned around and walked slowly back to my seat. Everyone was still staring at me with mixed expressions of shock, confusion, disgust, and even some slight fear.

**I know— a cliffhanger. Aren't you just _dying_** **to know what's going to happen? Unfortunately, I don't think that I'll be able to update until at least Tuesday (May 16), but probably not until Wednesday. Sorry!**

**Please review and make my day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I started writing this chapter with the intention of it going on much longer, and having much more in it, but when I got to where I stopped I realized that this was actually a pretty good ending to the chapter too, so I decided to stop here. But there is much more to this story and what's going on right now, so don't worry.**

**Also, I just figured out last Sunday that you can see how many hits your story has gotten, and how many people have it on alerts and favorites (yes, I know, I am _very_** **intelligent), and I was kind of surprised on what I figured out. Chapter three alone had over eighty hits, but I only had 12 reviews. And there were a couple of people that have this story on alert that have _never_ reviewed! I mean, come on guys. It isn't that hard to tell me if you like it or not (but no flames please). And to answer Sunlight's question: yes, you can review more than once. I like it when you do!**

**I don't own RENT.**

I walked back to my seat slowly andwith my head down, but I could still feel everyone's eyes on me.

In the back of my mind I could see my parents and their friends in my place: Dad and Roger would be walking with their heads up, with a look on their faces that would say that they didn't care (which would be true). Mimi and Maureen would strut back to their seats, blowing kisses at anyone who gave them a weird look. Joanne would walk back quietly and proudly, sit down, and pretend like nothing had happened. Mark might not keep his head up quite so high, but he wouldn't care that much. And Angel— well, Angel would walk her head held high and a slight smile on her face that would say "I don't care" and "Don't mess with me" at the same time.

But me? As soon as I got to my seat, I slumped down in it, feeling my stomach turn to jelly and my legs shake. I tried my best not to make eye contact with anyone, but I couldn't help but side-glance at Amy. She was giving me a look that was slowly changing from shock to disgust to fear to curiosity, and then back to shock. I could only imagine that everyone else's faces were doing the same thing.

I was suddenly aware that Mrs. Green was talking to the class.

"So…….who else wants to present their projects?" she asked. I was slightly grateful that she wasn't letting the class dwell on what had just happened, but at the same time I knew that it wasn't going to work. Still not making eye contact with anyone, I slowly raised by hand.

"C-could I g-go to the nurse?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. Mrs. Green made a face like she was about to object. "Please?" I asked, trying very hard not to plead. Mrs. Green sighed and nodded. I picked up my books (which wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, considering how sweaty my hands were) and walked out of the classroom without looking at anybody. On my way out though, I thought I could here someone mutter "fag."

I got to the nurse without passing out, told that I had major cramps (which I figured she couldn't argue with), and laid down on one of the green plastic beds, my mind racing.

_Did I do the right thing? _I thought to myself. _Should I have just told everyone like that? _

_Well, of course I should have._ I answered myself._ There wasn't any other way to get out of that situation. But did I actually think that people wouldn't care? Did I think they were just going to go about there business, having just learned that one of their classmate's parents were gay? _

_No, I didn't think that. I knew that they were going to care. But I guess I just didn't want to believe that it would be such a big deal to them. I guess I thought that if I finally told the truth, they would just accept me. _

Well, I had been wrong.

"Carlie?" asked the nurse. I wrenched myself away from my thoughts and turned to her. "Eighth period is starting, but if your stomach still really hurts than you can stay here………"

"I- I think I'd like to stay," I answered not meeting the nurse's eyes. She nodded, and then went back to what she had been doing.

The next forty five minutes passed exceptionally slowly. But the time the period had ended, I wasn't so much embarrassed anymore as I was mad. I was mad at my teacher for talking about Angel in front of the entire class and mad at my English class for not accepting me at my parents. But most of all I was mad at my parents for making me move to Connecticut.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of eighth period, I almost ran to my locker with my head down (forgetting to pretend to have cramps) and grabbed my backpack without putting anything in it. Something told me I wasn't going to get much homework done. I was quickly walking toward the bus when I realized that someone was calling my name. Against my better judgment, I turned around to see who it was.

"Carlie!" Kathleen yelled as she caught up with me. "Hi! Are you okay? I heard about what happened………" Great. So now the whole school knew.

"I'm fine," I muttered as I started walking away, desperate to get away from school.

"Are you sure?" Kathleen asked as she walked behind me.

"Well— well of course I'm not fine!" I told her, feeling me voice rising. "Would you be fine if you moved to a _completely_ homophobic area with _gay_ parents? Would you be fine if you'd been _lying_ about who you really were, and who your parents really were, for the past _month_? And then when you finally told the truth, which was almost _impossible_ for you, everyone thought you were some big freak? And they didn't even try to _pretend_ that they didn't care? Would you?" And with that, I stormed away from the one person who I had actually been able to talk to in the past month.

**I know— another cliffy. Don't worry though, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to update tomorrow (Wednesday). So hang in there!**

**Review por favor!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please, please, please try not to hate Carlie (or me) after this chapter. I know it's horrible, but it had to be written. I'm so sorry!**

I could here Kathleen calling my name, but I didn't turn back. I knew that if I tried to talk to her, it would just make matters worse.

Still, the whole bus ride home I could feel my heart beating unnaturally fast and my stomach churning. I could hear the two boys behind me (that had been making fun of some other kid on my first day of school) muttering to each other about me, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around and tell them to shut up.

When I finally got home, I walked inside, grateful that Angel wasn't home yet. Even though I knew that this whole thing was probably my fault for not telling the truth to begin with, I couldn't help but blame my parents. _They_ had been the ones that had made us move here, after all. If it had been my choice, I would have stayed in New York with Mimi and Roger. _No, that's not true; I love my parents,_ I thought to myself. _I would never leave them. But still_………_if my dad hadn't taken that stupid job here_………

I tried to get my mind off what had happened by watching TV, but it didn't work. My mind was still racing, and I still wasn't breathing regularly.

Around six o'clock, I heard the front door open, along with laughing voices. My stomach flipped again as I stood up, ready to say hi to my parents, and then almost immediately sat back down. Suddenly, I didn't want to talk to them.

"Carlie honey?" I heard Angel call as she walked into the house.

"Hello?" I heard my dad say. Great, they were both here.

My parents both walked into the family room together. "Hi sweetie," Angel said as she walked toward me. "Dad and I just met in the drivew— what's wrong?" Because when Angel had started walking toward me, I had taken a step backwards.

"Carlie? Are you okay?" asked my dad with a concerned look on his face.

"Y-yeah," I answered after a minute of processing the question. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure sweetie?" asked Angel. "You don't look so good………"

"I'm fine," I said again, this time a little more forcefully. "Will people just stop asking me that?"

"What's wrong?" asked my dad again. "Did something— "

"Shh Collins," Angel interrupted him. "She doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want— "

"You're what's wrong!" I yelled suddenly. "Both of you! For making me move to this stupid place!"

"Carlie, calm down, honey," Angel told me as she took a step forward and grabbed my hand. "Just try to tell us what happ—"

"You're what happened!" I screamed as I pulled my hand away from her grasp. "Why did we have to move to this G-ddamn place? At least in New York, people _tried_ to accept me! They didn't care so much! I could at least tell the truth without getting made fun of or— or laughed at!"

"Carlie," said my dad slowly with a look of dread on his face, "what do you mean?"

"What do I _mean_? What I mean is why do you guys have to be different? Why the hell did you even adopt me? You _must_ have known that I was going to be made fun of! That _you_ were going to made fun of!" I watch my parents' facial expressions slowly change from shock to dread, to almost fear. But I couldn't stop myself. "Why do you guys have to be gay? Why couldn't I have been adopted by a normal family?"

"C-carlie," Angel said softly, her voice shaking, "Please, try to calm d—"

"No!" I yelled at her. "No! I won't calm down! This entire month, all I've been _doing_ is calming down! I've stayed calm even though I've been _lying_ about myself, about you guys, about what I believe in, about how I'm feeling. So today, when I _finally_ tell the truth, I just get stared at. And laughed at. And made fun of. And it's made me feel like shit. So I'm sick of it! I'm sick of lying! So here. This is how I feel! I wish you guys had never adopted me! I wish that I could have ended up with a normal family! That's how I feel! Are you happy?" And with that, I ran upstairs into my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

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(A little bit outside of Carlie POV)

Collins slowly sank down onto the couch and put his face in his hands. Angel just stood there, looking at the spot where her daughter had been standing with a look of shock and sadness of her face.

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(back in Carlie's POV)

As soon as I slammed the door, the weight of what I had just done began to hit me. Suddenly feeling faint, I leaned back against the closed door and closed my eyes. I could feel the room spinning around me as my stomach flipped over and over as I kept remembering what I had told them, feeling worse every second.

_No_………I thought._ No_………_I didn't just say that_………_it didn't happen_………_please let it not have happened_………_I would never say that_………_I love my parents_………_I didn't say that_………

I opened my eyes. But I had said it. I had just told my parents the one thing that they had been hearing all their lives from people who were closed minded, people who didn't accept them, people who judged them. The one thing that they thought they would never here from the people they loved. I had told them I hated them because………why? Because they were gay? But that didn't matter to me………it never had. I loved my parents, and I knew they loved me, so why was I acting like this?

I forced myself off the floor and walked over to my bed, where I sank down on it, shaking.

_I have to go apologize,_ I realized suddenly. _I have to tell them that I love them and that I didn't mean it and that I would never trade them for anyone in the world_………

That was when it hit me. I _couldn't_ apologize. There was no way that I could ever apologize for what I had just done. There was no way that I could force myself to face my parents and explain to them why I had said that. Because there _was_ no explanation. I should've just told the truth in the first place. I should have just not cared, like my dad. Or made people realize that they couldn't mess with me, like Angel. But I hadn't. I had been stupid enough to hide who I was, just to get people to like me.

It occurred to me that if apologizing wasn't an option, than there was only one thing I could do. Just the thought of it made me feel terrible, and I knew that it would just make my parents feel worse, but it seemed like the only option.

Slowly, I got off my bed and walked over to my closet, where I got out a sweatshirt, sneakers, and my purse. I went over to my sock drawer and pulled out some bills. With my hands shaking, I managed to separate two twenties and two tens. I stuffed them into my purse and put on my sweatshirt. Then, as quietly as I could, I went over to my window, opened it up, and swung my legs over the side. The jump looked far, but I knew it wasn't too bad. With a sudden rush or adrenaline, I pushed myself off the window sill onto the outside grass. Then I stood up and began to run.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry that so many of you guys hated Carlie after the last chapter; I was hoping that you'd see where she was coming from. Oh well………**

**I know that I said there would only be about six chapters to this story, but now I'm almost positive that there will be eight. **

**Also, I've never ridden a bus besides a school one, so forgive me if prices or whatever are way off.**

(outside of Carlie's POV)

Angel, who had been standing in the exact same position for several minutes, suddenly started to move toward the stairs. Collins, who had been sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, suddenly spoke.

"No," was all he said. Angel kept moving toward the stairs, not listening to him. "No. Don't go after her yet. She needs to calm down," Collins said again. Angel kept moving as if she hadn't heard him. "Angel………" Collins said softly, almost pleading. Angel turned around when he said her name.

"I can't………" Angel started to say, her voice shaking. "I can't………" Suddenly, Angel started to break down, burying her face in her hands. Slowly, Collins got off the couch and walked over to her. Angel let herself fall onto Collins, who wrapped his harms around her. She thought that she could feel tears fall onto her shoulders that weren't her own.

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(back in Carlie's POV)

I had stopped running after a couple minutes, but with every step I took, I could still feel my stomach churn more and the lump in my throat rise up and down. But the funny thing was that I still hadn't cried. Maybe I was just in too much shock. Or maybe I was just too upset to cry. I wasn't sure.

I kept walking until I reached a bus station that I had remembered passing with my parents a few days ago. I checked my watch; it was 9:02. So I'd been on the run for over two hours. It felt much shorter than that. And much longer too, somehow.

I walked inside the bus station, unsure of where I wanted to go. There was a very tired looking lady with frizzy brown hair sitting behind a counter. Nervously, I walked up to her.

"Um………excuse me?" I asked. She looked up at me. "Um………do you have buses that go to………New York?" Now where had _that_ come from?"

"Where in New York, kid?" asked the lady with an exasperated look.

"New York City." I replied, wondering why I had just said that.

"There's one leaving in about half-an-hour," she answered.

"O-okay. Thanks," I replied, walking over to a bench to sit down.

"Don't you want a ticket?" she asked as I turned away.

"Oh, right," I answered as I walked back over to the desk.

After buying a ticket, which cost forty dollars, I walked over to a seat and tried to organize my thoughts. My stomach was still flipping, and whenever I thought of what I had said to my parents just hours before, I felt nauseous. But for some reason, knowing that I was going to New York seemed to calm be down a little. Although I would never have admitted it to myself, I knew why I was going to New York. I _wanted_ to be found. In the back of my mind I realized that going to New York was going to mean I was going to end up with Mimi, or Mark, or another of my parents' friends, so I knew that my dad and Angel would eventually find me. The only problem was I wasn't sure how the three of us would react when we met up again.

The half an hour that I spent in the bus station went by very slowly, probably because with each passing minute I doubted whether I was doing the right thing. It was hard to imagine that only twelve hours ago I had been talking with Kathleen in art class. But still, at nine thirty I boarded a bus along with five other people, and was soon on my way to back to Alphabet City.

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(outside of Carlie's POV)

After what seemed like hours, Angel slowly started to move out of Collins' arms. She looked up at him for a moment, and then, without speaking, the two of them slowly started up the stairs toward Carlie's room. Once they were outside her room, Angel squeezed Collins hand at she knocked on Carlie's door.

"Carlie honey?" Angel asked. "Sweetie, we need to talk to you." There was no answer.

Collins used his other hand to knock. "Baby, I know you're upset, but you have to come out sometime." No answer again.

"Carlie?" Angel said again, this time sharper and more urgent. "We need to talk to you." When there was no answer again, Angel tried turning the doorknob, but it was locked. Collins started searching his pocket for something. Wordlessly, he pulled out a safety pin and inserted it into the lock.

"Carlie, if you're not going to let us in, we're going to come in anyway." When the only answer he received was silence, he turned the safety pin around until they both heard a click. "Carlie, we're coming in," he said. Angel and Collins exchanged looks as Collins slowly opened the door.

Of course, there was no one in there, just an empty window.

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(back in Carlie's POV)

I spent the entire time on the bus in that awful stage when you know that the thing you need more than anything else is to just cry, but you can't. I could feel the lump in my throat grow every time my parents' shocked and saddened faces popped into my head, but I still couldn't cry. The other thing I desperately needed was sleep, but my stomach had decided that it wasn't it the mood for that, because it wouldn't stop flipping.

Finally, at almost two in the morning, I arrived back home in New York City. Even in the dark, I still felt more secure there than I ever had in Connecticut. I set out walking slowly toward Alphabet City, even though I knew that it was several miles away. I was absolutely exhausted the entire time, but I knew that if I just kept walking another block, another two blocks, I would eventually get there, and everything might turn out alright.

It was after four by the time I reached our old apartment building. For a minute, I just stood there, looking at it, and wondering who I just go to. My first thought was Mimi and Roger, but since Mimi was Angel's best friend, I knew that she was either going to know, or very much want to know, what was going on. My next thought was Maureen and Joanne, but then I remembered that they had moved out of the building and into a nicer apartment when Joanne had gotten a promotion a year ago. So that just left Mark, but since he and I had never been overly close………

Irresolutely, I fished my old key out of my purse and unlocked the door to the building. Slowly and hesitantly, I climbed the stairs, not quite sure of where to go. Finally making my decision, I walked up to the door of one of my parents' friends' apartments and, as quietly as I could, slid it open and slipped inside.

A familiar sight of cluttered tables, duct-taped couches, and a forever flashing answering machine met my eyes as I walked in. I had started to creep over to the couch when I accidentally tripped over a shirt lying on the floor. "Shit," I muttered as I heard movement in the bedroom.

"Roger, how many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn't wake me up in the middle of the night to get condoms," he was saying as he opened the door. His eyes, looking very small without his glasses on, widened when they saw me. "Carlie?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Hey Mark," I answered.


	7. Chapter 7

"H— hi Carlie," Mark stammered as he walked over to me, still surprised that I was there

"H— hi Carlie," Mark stammered as he walked over to me, still surprised that I was there. He gave me a brief hug before asking me, "When did you get here? Are your parents with Mimi and Roger or something?"

I had been so happy to see Mark that I'd forgotten for a moment everything that had happened. My stomach plummeted before I answered, "Um………I got here………just now. How's Lauren?" I asked, referring to his girlfriend and trying to change the subject.

"She's fine," Mark answered giving me a funny look. "She's in DC this week presenting her art show— but Carlie, where are Collins and Angel? Are they downstairs?" asked Mark, bewildered. "Did they just send you here by yourself? Or— oh," he said, looking me over and realizing that I didn't have any bags with me. "Carlie, do your parents know that you're here?"

"Well………not exactly," I replied, not meeting his eyes. Mark gave me a very skeptical look. "No," I said.

"Oh G-d," said Mark, before walking into his room, muttering to himself. He came out a minute later with his glasses on and then went over to the phone.

"Don't," I told him suddenly. Mark looked up at me with an exasperated look. "Don't call them."

"You don't know who I was going to c—"

"It was either my parents or Mimi and Roger, and I don't want any of them to know right now," I said to him.

"Carlie, you can't just expect me too just let you stay here without telling anybody………" Mark said to me with an apologetic look.

"I don't," I replied. "But— just, not right now, okay? I just need to sit. I don't want any questions."

"Carlie, your parents are probably worried sick. They need to know."

"No, they're not," I muttered.

"Huh?" asked Mark.

"Nothing," I said to him. "Just give me some time, okay? Please Mark?" He sighed. "Thanks," I answered, before going over to the couch and sitting down.

Mark went back into his room and shut the door, still muttering to himself. Once he was inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. For now, at least, I was okay. I expected myself to sit there, still running things over in my head, but I didn't. I'd only been sitting for a few minutes when I felt myself slowly drift off to sleep.

--

"So she just showed up here? In the middle of the night? And you didn't even _tell_ us? Or Roger and Mimi? Or even, I don't know, her _Angel _and _Collins_?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly the middle of the night………more like fourish………and she told me not to tell you guys………she said she didn't want any questions………"

"Mark, she's only _thirteen_ _years old_. When she runs away, you have to fucking _tell_ someone. Do you have any idea what Angel and Collins have probably _been_ through in the last twenty four hours?"

"Honey bear, will you quiet down? She's going to wake up if you keep being so loud."

"Give me a break Maureen, okay? It's not I have a lot of experience with kids or anything………and it's not like you do either………"

I slowly opened my eyes. For a second, I didn't remember where I was, or how I'd gotten there. With a sudden jolt, I remembered. Mark's apartment, buses, running away, yelling………

I looked over to my left. Mark, Roger, Mimi, Maureen, and Joanne were all standing in the kitchen area, talking about, of course, me. I considered pretending to stay asleep so that they would keep talking about what they were planning to do with me, when Roger caught my eye.

"Uh, guys?" he said to Mark, Joanne, Maureen, and Mimi. "I hate to break it to you, but she's awake."

"Never mind," said Joanne, exasperatedly. Mimi and Maureen both rushed over to me as I sat up.

"Carlie, what are you _doing_ here?" asked Mimi with a concerned look. We called Angel and Collins, and they were _very_ happy to here that you were okay, and now they're coming here now, but they wouldn't tell us what happened."

"You told them?" I asked, glaring up at Mark. He gave me another apologetic look.

"Honey, of _course_ we told them," said Maureen. "They need to know. And they were really worried about you." That, if anything, made me feel worse; after all that I'd said, my parents still loved me. "They're on their way here. But really, what _happened_? Your parents wouldn't tell us anything."

"I— I don't want to talk about it," I answered, feeling my stomach and jerk around, and not meeting either of their eyes.

"Are you sure, Carlie?" asked Mimi.

"Mm hmm," I murmured, determinedly staring at the duct tape on the couch. Mimi sighed, and she and Maureen walked back over to Mark, Roger, and Joanne, giving the three of them 'we tried' looks.

I saw Mimi give Mark an 'I'm sorry' look before turning to the group and saying, "I'm sorry guys, but I have a hip hop class to teach in about twenty minutes, so I really have to go."

"Yeah, I have band practice," said Roger. The two of them both left before Joanne and Maureen both turned to Mark.

"We have to go too," Joanne said to him. "We'll come by later though, okay?"

"Yeah that's fine," muttered Mark. I knew that he wasn't that happy to be left alone with me; he wasn't sure how to act.

"Bye Carlie," said Maureen, and she and Joanne both walked out the door.

Mark looked helplessly at the closed door after them before turning to me. "So," he said, clearly having no idea what to talk about. "Umm………"

"What time is it?" I asked suddenly.

"Around two," Mark answered. "Mimi called your parents around one, so I'm guessing that they'll get here around four………"

"Great," I answered sarcastically.

"Carlie, are you sure you don't want to tell me—"

"I'm sure," I said sharply. Mark gave me a sad look. "It's just, Mark, it was really bad. I can't tell you."

"That's all right," he answered with a sigh as I sank back down onto the couch. He stood next to me, awkwardly, for a second, before telling me, "Carlie, listen, I'm really sorry, but I have some errands to run, and I'm showing a new film today, so………"

"Don't worry Mark, I'm not going to run away again," I said, even though the thought had briefly crossed my mind. "I'll just stay here until my parents get here. Don't worry about me."

"Umm………ok," said Mark reluctantly. "If you need anything, just call my cell."

"I'll be fine," I assured him. Mark said good-bye and walked out the door. I breathed a sigh of relief; I'd wanted to be able to collect my thoughts before my parents got there.

I walked over the kitchen table and sat down, thinking if I should eat something. I _was_ hungry, but my stomach still felt queasy, and I didn't think I would be able to hold anything down. Also, the persistent lump in my throat didn't want me eating either.

I rested my head in my hands and tried not to think about what was going to happen in less than two hours. But that was impossible. I was going to see my parents, and either we were going to act like nothing had happened, there was going to be _major_ yelling, or— or what? I wasn't sure.

Over the next hour and a half, my stomach would flip every time I though about my parents, and then I'd check my watch, dreading that another minute had past.

But, of course, time didn't feel the need to slow down just for me. So, at 4:13, I heard two pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs. My stomach dropped one more time before I heard the footsteps come closer and closer to the door, and then it opened.

I automatically stood up and turned to the door. There were my parents, staring at me with relieved-sad-worried looks on their faces. We looked at each other for a few moments, until I finally did what I had needed to do more than anything in the past day. I burst into tears.

**Now I'm thinking that there might be nine chapters, because I had thought before that I might go a little further with this chapter. But I changed my mind.**

**Anyway, you know what do! ****cough cough review cough review review cough cough**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so, so, so (times a million) sorry that this took so long to get out! I've been really busy.**

**I don't own RENT.**

Almost immediately, Angel walked over to me and gave me a hug, which only made me cry louder. "Shh honey, it's okay," she said to me.

"No," I gasped as I tried to pull away from her. "No, it's not okay. I was stupid, and mean, and horrible to you, and you don't even care."

Angel slowly sat the two of us down onto the couch without taking her arms off of me. I was suddenly aware that my dad had sat down on my other side.

"Sweetie, it's not thatwe don't care," Angel told me as she tried to push my hair off of my face, "it's just that your dad know that you didn't mean it."

"Well— well of course I didn't mean it," I sputtered as I continued to sob. "But it's just— why are you here? Why'd you come after me? Why aren't you yelling at me for what I did?"

"Carlie," my dad said softly to me putting his hand on my back. "We're not yelling at you because we _realize_ that you must have problems sometimes because of— us. And baby, we feel terrible about that. But Angel and I have to know that you're going to be able to take— and not over react to— insults sometimes. Because if you can't, then maybe you were right about what you said yesterday."

"No— no I wasn't right at all," I said to my parents through my sobs. "It's just that— I've been acting so _stupid_ over the past month because I've been lying to everyone. And— and I dunno, I guess I finally just cracked or something. But I shouldn't have. I should've just told you what was going on or— or not lied in the first place. But I didn't. So I'm sorry." I burst into a fresh new wave of tears again before adding on.

"And— and I know that I shouldn't've r—run away either, but I just felt so _stupid_ about what I said and— and I c—couldn't stop thinking about it, and I _knew_ the whole time that I was on my way here that it was wrong b—but I couldn't think of anything else to do and—" I stopped and buried my face in my hands again.

"It's okay, honey," Angel said to me again, and I with that, I hid my face in her shoulder, still crying. She slowly wrapped her arms around my back, and I felt my dad slowly stroking my hair. We stayed like that for I don't know how long— a minute? an hour?— when a sudden crash broke us apart.

We all looked up to see Mark layingon the floor, with his camera and scarf strewn on the floor next to him. "I— I tripped on the shirt," he muttered, without looking at any of us. "Sorry. I'll just— go away then." And with that, Mark picked up his camera and walked awkwardly into his room. My parents and I stared at his closed door for a minute before my dad suddenly burst out laughing. Angel and I quickly joined in, me still wiping the tears from my eyes.

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My parents and I ended up staying at Mark's apartment for the night, my parents in Roger's old room and me on the couch. We drove back to New York on Sunday. On the ride home, I filled my parents in on all the details that had been happening to me at school over the past month. I told them about Amy and her friends, and Kathleen, and the boys on the bus, and everything that had happened after Angel had called the school on Friday.

By Monday morning, I was ready for a new start at school. I was wearing one of the skirts that Angel had made me, and I shirt that Mimi had given me last Christmas. For some reason, I felt more confident when I felt like my parents and their friends were near me.

Still, I was nervous when I gave my parents hugs good-bye and I walked outside to the bus. My stomach was churning again, but for once, it wasn't a guilty type or churning; more like anticipating something that you're half-excited, half-nervous about doing. I boarded the bus slowly, knowing that today was probably going to change everyone's point of view of me at school. I sat down in my usual seat, in front of the two boys. Usually I dreaded them calling people 'fags' like it didn't mean anything, but that day I almost wanted them too.

Sure enough, I'd only been on the bus for a few minutes when I heard the two boys talking about some kid again.

"Seriously. He is _such_ a fag," I heard one of them say.

I took a deep breath and slowly turned around in my seat. "Uh, excuse me?" I asked them. They both looked up at me. "Could you please, um, _not_ use that word?"

"What word?" The other one asked. "Fag?"

I grimaced. "Yeah, that one," I answered. "It's just— I know that you guys don't really _mean_ anything _by_ it, but it's still really offensive to some people. Like me."

"Well, sorry," said the other one. "But that's just what people _say_ here, you know?"

"Well yeah, I know that," I told them. "But it's just, that really isn't a nice thing to say. About anyone. So could you guys _please_ try not to use it so much? Especially around me?"

"Um, yeah, sure," they said with confused looks on their faces.

"Thanks," I answered before I turned back around in my seat, slowly exhaling. Finally. I'd told them how I felt. Sure, I could've been a _little_ bit stronger about it, but at least I'd done it. The rest of the bus ride went by remarkably fast.

When the bus got to school, I immediately went inside looking around for Kathleen. I saw her talking to a girl with really curly hair whose name, I was pretty sure, was Mary. Slowly, I walked over to Kathleen with my stomach churning again, although it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before.

"Kathleen?" I asked tentatively as I walked over to her. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," she answered with a slightly confused look on her face. We walked a little down the hallway before I started to talk to her.

"Well," I began, trying my best to make eye contact, "I'm really, really sorry about Friday. I just," I stopped and sighed. "I was really pissed at, um, everyone, and you were the first person that I really talked to about it, and, well, I shouldn't've yelled at you."

"It's okay," she answered with a shrug.

"Thanks," I replied. "But I was really just mad at myself for not telling everyone in the first place that my parents were gay, and, well, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," said Kathleen. "But, you know that I don't really care about that right? I mean, your parents? Like, it doesn't matter to me?"

"Yeah, I figured that out. I mean, you were the first person that I met here that actually seemed, like, _real_, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," she answered. "Like, no offense or anything, but that girl Amy you hang out with isn't exactly………"

"I know," I said to her. She smiled at me.

"So………do you want to come meet my friends?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "That'd be good." So we walked back down the hallway, my stomach feeling lighter than it had in a month.

**Sorry about the terrible chapter ending (again). There's definitely only one chapter left now. And, yes, it will involve Angel being very Angel-y around Amy. So yay for that!**

**Review por favor! Reviews son muy bueno! (Reviews are very good)**


	9. Chapter 9

**THIS CHAPTER WAS RE-SUBMITTED BECAUSE I ADDED FIVE PARAGRAPHS ON TO THE END OF IT. Actually, those paragraphs fit better with chapter 10 (which I'm working on), but the way chapter 10 is going it's going to be about 6 pages on Word, instead of my usual three.**

**First of all, I am SO sorry that this took so long to get out. Please don't kill me!**

**Also, I lied. Again. This isn't the last chapter. I really thought it would be, but then I realized that if I kept going it would be REALLY long, and I have a weird phobia of long chapters. But I'm sorry that this is so short.**

**But you can still REVIEW anyway when you're done! (That _includes_, but is not limited to,** **people I know personally. Aka honeybear and shampster)**

**I don't own RENT. **

During first period, I finally worked up the nerve to talk to Amy. But since class had already started, I figured it would be easier to write her a note. I got out a pen and a scrap piece of paper from my notebook, but ended up staring at the blank piece of paper for a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally, I began to write.

_Amy-_

_First of all, I'm sorry that I lied to you about my parents. But I want you to know that it doesn't matter to me at all that they're gay, so if you're my friend, it shouldn't matter to you either. But I _do_ think that you're a good person, so I'd still like to be friends with you. But if you can't accept my parents, that I can't accept you._

_-Carlie_

Before I had time to regret what I had just done, I tapped Amy on the shoulder (she sat in front of me), and carefully passed her the note without Mrs. Ralley seeing it. I could tell that Amy was surprised to be getting something from me, but she took the note anyway, slowly unfolded it, and read it.

Amy stared at the note for a moment with her mouth slightly open, as if she was surprised that I'd actually had the nerve to tell her that. Then slowly, I saw her get out a pen, turn the paper over, and begin to write her own message. I hadn't bargained on her writing back; I'd thought that she would wait until the end of class to talk to me. But after a few minutes, I saw her fold the paper back up and casually pass it back to be. Breathing heavily, I read her note.

_It's okay. I probably would have done the same thing._

Was she serious? Was that all she was going to tell me? No '_I'm fine with your parents being who they are. I'd still like to be friends with you_'? No '_Your parents are fags and so are you_'? That was it? That was all she was going to say to me? Suddenly, I was mad again. Having Amy completely avoid the entire subject was almost worse than her being mean to me.

I considered writing back to Amy, but then I decided that I obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with her unless I talked to her face-to-face. With a sigh, I tried to pay attention in class, with the idea in mind that I would talk to Amy once school had ended.

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I had a very fun time in art class with Kathleen, although every time I looked over at Amy with her friends my stomach did its oh-so-familiar flip, reminding me of what I had to do once the school day was over.

After the last bell, I made my feet make their way over to Amy. For once, I didn't have to worry about missing my bus; Angel was picking me up so that the two of us could go shopping (she thought we needed to spend more time together).

Amy was standing in the center of her group of her usual giggly, ditzy friends. Taking a deep breath, I went over to her.

"Amy?" I asked her. She turned around and looked at me, looking surprised, but not at all mean. "Could I— uh, talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," she answered with a confused look on her face. We both took a few steps away from her group.

"Well………you read my note, right?" She slowly nodded. "Well, what you wrote back………I mean, it wasn't exactly very………" my voice trailed off.

"Sorry about that," Amy said to me hesitantly. "I wasn't exactly quite sure what to say………."

"Okay………" I answered. "It's just that—" I paused. "Do you want to come over my house on Friday?" Where had _that_ come from? Now I sounded like I was hitting on her or something.

"What?" asked Amy.

"Not like that!" I said immediately. "It's just that— I said before that I'd _like_ to be friends with you, but if that's the case then you need to accept my family, and honestly I think the only way you can do that is for you to actually _meet_ them, so………"

"Sure," said Amy with a half confused, half slightly worried look on her face. "I mean— yeah. That's fine.

"Um, okay," I replied. "Great. So I'll………see you then?"

"Mm hmm," Amy answered with a slight nod.

"Okay," I told her. "So, see you later."

"Bye," Amy said to me. And with that, I walked outside, where I saw Angel waiting for me (in drag) in her car. I went over to the car and opened the door to the front seat.

"Hi honey," Angel said to me as I got in. She gave me a quick hug.

"Hey Angel," I replied. We started to drive out of the parking lot. "Umm, is it okay if I have a friend over on Friday night?

Angel thought for a second. "That's fine sweetie," she answered. "Who are you having? Kathleen?"

"Umm, no," I replied. "Actually, I invited Amy." Angel raised one eyebrow and gave me a skeptical look, but said nothing. "I know what you're thinking," I said to her quickly. "But I figure— I mean, she's an okay person, and I think that this is the only way to get through to her."

"Alright," Angel said to me. "If you want to."

"I'm sure," I said. "Just, Angel?"

"Mm hmm?"

"Umm………make sure you be yourself. Okay?"

Angel smiled. "That's fine," she answered.

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The next four days went by pretty fast. I had decided to invite Kathleen over on Friday as well. Amy had looked a little surprised when I had told her that Kathleen was coming too (which I had expected, considering the two of them weren't really friends), but she hadn't said anything. Then again, I had gotten the same reaction from Kathleen about Amy, but I figured they could get along. Besides, I had a feeling that Kathleen would get along very well with my dad.

On Friday afternoon at four o'clock, I was walking around the house nervously, twisting my hands together, and trying to convince myself that when Kathleen and Amy got to our house in an hour, everything was going to turn out all right. On my fifth trip through the kitchen, my dad finally asked me what I was doing.

"Nothing," I answered quickly. He raised one eyebrow and looked at me skeptically. "I'm just a little nervous," I said to him quietly. Angel, who had been distractedly drumming on the table, stopped and looked up at me. Neither of my parents said anything. "I know that I have nothing to me nervous over," I told them both. "I'm just— I'm just nothing," I muttered, realizing that I was now talking more to myself than either of my parents. "Everything is going to be fine." But then I resumed my pacing.

At quarter to five, my parents went out to get food. My dad had decided that he was going to grill soy burgers for everyone, which Angel and I had mixed feeling about (my dad had very varied success in cooking).

After my parents left, I continued walking around the room. When the doorbell rang, my stomach gave a brief jolt, and I walked slowly toward the front the door. With my palms sweating slightly, I opened it.


	10. Chapter 10

**First of all, if you haven't done it yet: GO BACK AND READ THE END OF CHAPTER NINE. I ADDED FIVE PARAGRAPHS ONTO THE END. **

**Also, I'm really, really sorry about the whole lying about one more chapter thing. And I realize that I've done it about three times. And yes, now I'm doing it again. It's not really my fault; I just have this whole story planned out in my head, but the chapters are a lot shorter up there than they are on the computer. I am very sorry about this though.**

**I am, however, more than halfway done with the last chapter (for real this time, I promise), and it is DEFINITELY THE LAST.**

**I don't own RENT. Or _Dazed and Confused_.**

Amy (looking a bit nervous) was at the door with someone, who I presumed to be her mother.

"Hi," she said to me with a smile.

"Hey," I replied.

"I'll call you later, okay Amy?" asked Amy's mother. Amy nodded, gave her mother a quick hug, and then she came into the house. I was just about to shut the door when I heard footsteps. I opened it up to see Kathleen.

"Hi!" she said happily in the usual loud voice of hers.

"Hi," I said, standing back to let her in.

"So," I said to my friends as we walked into the house, "What do you guys want to do?"

"I bought _Dazed and Confused_," Kathleen told us, holding up a DVD, as we headed into the family room. "It's this movie that came out in the nineties. It takes place in the seventies, and it's about a bunch of high-schoolers that go and get high on their last day of school."

"Sounds like my parents," I muttered. Thankfully, neither of them heard me.

"Plus, it's got Anthony Rapp in it," Kathleen continued.

"Who?" Amy and I asked together while the three of us sat down on the couch.

"You guys don't know who Anthony Rapp is?" Kathleen asked us disbelievingly. "He's an actor. And he's, like, amazing."

"Umm………okay," I said with a shrug. "We can watch it later though, okay? Like after dinner?"

"That's fine," Kathleen replied with a shrug.

"What are we having?" asked Amy.

"Umm," I answered. "I think my dad is making soy burgers………"

"Soy burgers?" Amy asked with a skeptical look.

"They're good," I told her. "Or at least I like them. My dad and I are both vegetarians, and Angel kinda is, so it's what we eat. It'll taste the same as a hamburger if you close your eyes. Or, at least it would if someone else was making them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Kathleen, seeing my concerned face.

"Nothing really," I replied. "My dad's cooking is just………interesting. But I'm sure that it'll be fine."

"I'll eat anything," said Kathleen with a shrug. "Just a lot of it."

"Okay," I answered. "So………do you want anything to drink?" They both nodded, and we headed into the kitchen. While I was pouring three Pepsi's, I suddenly remembered what I had wanted to tell them about my parents. "Guys?" I asked. They both looked at me. "Just to tell you, when Angel gets here, just call her Angel. It gets a little awkward for you when you start trying to work out the Miss or Mr. Schunard. She thinks it's funny, but you'll end up a little embarrassed."

"That's fine," Kathleen said. I noticed that Amy had gone a bit quiet.

"And just call my dad Collins," I went on. "It's his last name, but it's what all of his friends call him. He isn't very big on formalities though. If you call him 'Mr. Collins,' he'll probably start laughing hysterically."

"Okay," they both said. Suddenly, I heard the garage door opening. My stomach briefly flipped, but it more that I was anticipating what was about to happen then being nervous.

I heard the door open. "Carlie honey?" Angel called from the family room.

"Hey Angel," I answered with a smile as I walked into the family room to greet her and my dad. Kathleen and Amy followed.

"Hi sweetie," Angel said as she gave me a brief hug. Like I'd asked, she was completely done up in drag, wearing a short, light blue skirt and a purple and blue long-sleeved top. And, of course, her black wig.

"So," I said to her. "This is Amy," I gestured to Amy, who said 'hi' nervously, looking at Angel with wide surprised eyes, "and Kathleen." Kathleen stepped forward.

"Hi," said Kathleen energetically with a smile as she extended her hand. Angel shook it with a surprised look on her face.

"Hey sweetie," she replied back. My dad also shook Kathleen's hand, but it was with a very amused look on his face.

"So………you girls hungry?" asked my dad holding up a shopping bag. A variety of 'yeses' and 'uh-huhs' answered his question.

"We're gonna go upstairs while you're cooking, okay?" I asked my parents.

"That's fine," answered Angel.

"Try to actually _cook_ the burgers this time, dad!" I called back as Kathleen, Amy, and I headed upstairs. I led them both into my room. Once I turned on the light, they both spent a minute looking around at my walls with surprised looks on their faces. Which I guess was to be expected, considering that I didn't exactly have a "typical" teenage room.

My walls were painted a very bright blue with random splotches of light purple here and there (courtesy of Angel), and my posters, instead of being of Usher or Orlando Bloom, were of Sondheim, musicals that he had written, Roger's band, and Maya Angelou. But what can I say? My parents made sure that I was brought up liking the "right" sort of things.

"Wow," Kathleen said with wide eyes as she surveyed it all. "I _love_ your room. Seriously."

"It's pretty cool," Amy said as she ran her fingers through her hair, still looking over everything.

"Thanks," I replied, trying with a smile. Amy and I went in and sat down on my bed, but Kathleen started walking around the room looking at pictures.

"Who're all these people?" she asked, stopping at a picture that had been taken about fifteen years ago on New Year's Eve.

"Those're my parents and their friends," I answered, as Amy and I got up to look at it with her. "Actually, I think it was taken only a week after they met or something. That's my dad, dressed up as James Bond, and Angel as Pussy Galore," I told them pointing the two of them out. "Maureen's the one in the cat suit, and Joanne, that's her life-partner, is the one dressed up as Tina Turner. Maureen was my dad's roommate like sixteen years ago. And then that's Mimi, she's Angel's best friend, and Roger, who she was dating then, but now they're married," I said as I pointed them all out. "The only one from their group that's not in the picture is Mark, but that's probably because he took it."

"Wow," Amy said as she stared at it. "They look really………I don't know, just happy."

"They were," I answered simply. "Or, they are."

We were all quite for a moment, looking at the picture.

"And drunk," said Kathleen squinting at it.

"Yeah, that too," I answered with a smile. We suddenly heard Angel calling us.

"Girls!" I heard her yell from the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner!" With one last look at the picture, the three of us headed downstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

**First of all, I fixed the _Dazed and Confused_ mistake. Sorry about that! Secondly, I've had this chapter finished since last Tuesday, but Fanfiction wouldn't let me post it. Darn that Fanfiction!**

**Also, to anyone who has reviewed this story, especially the last chapter: You guys are AMAZING! I have gotten what are definitely the best reviews EVER while writing this story, so once again, thanks you guys! You're the best! ****Finally, to all those who are reading and aren't reviewing: Just remember that as this is FINALLY the last chapter (no joke this time) it is your last chance to review. So please take that into consideration.**

**I don't own RENT or _Dazed and Confused_.**

**P. S. This is a SUPER long chapter to make up for all the short ones! Yay!**

Dinner actually turned out okay. My dad did somehow cook one burger so that it was completely burnt on the outside and completely raw on the inside, but my parents had bought enough so that we could throw it and still have enough for all five of us.

"So," I asked Kathleen and Amy after we'd been eating dinner (in silence) for about five minutes. "Are you guys going to semi-formal in a week?"

"No," Kathleen answered simply. "I don't see the point in getting all dressed up and stuff just for that. Besides, it probably won't even be that fun." I couldn't help but think that thirty years ago, my dad would have made a very similar comment.

"I think so," said Amy. "I already have a dress and everything. Except I can't walk in my shoes at all."

"How tall are they?" asked Angel, looking slightly excited that the conversation had turned to shoes.

"Only about 2½ inches," answered Amy, looking at Angel interestedly. "But the heel part is really skinny."

And with that comment, Amy and Angel began a very detailed conversation about different types of high-heeled shoes that _I_ could only half understand. Apparently, after Amy had gotten over the initial shock of Angel, the two of them seemed to get along quite well.

While they were talking, Kathleen, as I'd expected, was getting along very well with my dad. We had only been sitting down for about five minutes when they started up a conversation that the rest of us couldn't follow about how computers were going to completely change the human race.

After dinner, Amy, Kathleen, and I all went into the family room to watch _Dazed and Confused_. Personally, I didn't see what was so special about Anthony Rapp, other then the fact that he looked a little bit like Mark. But Kathleen did get very excited the first time that he appeared on screen.

More than halfway through the movie, the phone rang. I heard Angel pick up, but then after talking to whoever it was for a minute, she came into the family room where we were.

"Amy honey?" she asked as she walked in. "Your mom's on the phone." I paused the movie, and Amy stood up to get the phone from Angel. She took it into the other room with her for a second.

"Hi mom," I heard her say. "No, that was Angel." Pause. "Well, I told you that Carlie's parents………" her voice got quieter, but I was sure that she had just lowered it to tell her mom that my parents were gay.

"It's fine," she said, normally this time. "No, Mom, I'm fine." Pause. "No, it's………" She lowered her voice again, but I was pretty sure that she had said 'not weird.' Her voice went back to normal again, and I heard her say, "Well, there's only about half an hour left of the movie, can't you just wait until then?" Pause. "Mom, I'm having a good time." Pause. "Yes, I'm _fine_." A longer pause. "Can't you just please _wait_?" Pause. "Fine. See you then." I heard her turn off the phone, and then she walked back into the family room.

She rolled her eyes as she came in. "Well, I guess that you guys heard all of that?" she asked with a smile. Kathleen and I exchanged guilty looks before nodding. "My mom's just being stupid," she said as she sat back down on the couch. "She thinks………well, never mind."

I bit my lip, having a pretty good idea on what Amy's mom thought.

"She said that she was coming to pick me up now though," Amy continued. "And I _told_ her that there was only half an hour left." Amy rolled her eyes again. "Whatever," she said. "Can you just play it?" So, I resumed the movie.

A couple of minutes later, my dad came in and sat down next to me on the couch. He was closely followed by Angel who, upon seeing that there were no open seats, promptly sat down in my dad's lap.

About fifteen minutes later, we all heard the sound of a car in the driveway. I picked up the remote, about to pause the movie again, but then decided just to leave it on for as long as possible.

The doorbell rang. I looked over at Amy. She looked upset and apprehensive. Angel happily bounced off of my dad's lap and walked into the hallway where the front door was. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I heard Angel open the door. Quietly, I picked up the remote and paused the movie so that I could hear what Angel and Amy's mom were saying.

"Hello. I'm Sarah, Amy's mom," I heard a new voice say. Then I heard a sharp intake of breath, which I presumed to be Amy's mom seeing Angel.

"Hi, I'm Angel," I heard Angel say. Suddenly, Amy got off the couch and walked into the hallway where the front door was.

"Hey mom," I heard her say in a forced manner. "Can you come over here for a second?" I heard the two of them walking away from the door.

Then, Angel came back into the family room. She had a slightly grim expression on, which I rarely saw, but I could tell that she was trying to act normal. She sat back down in my dad's lap, folded his arms across her lap, and absentmindedly started drumming softly on her knees. I could tell that my dad could sense Angel's anxiousness, but he too seemed to be trying to act normal. Kathleen was looking at the two of the apprehensively. The four of us were completely quiet, and we could all clearly hear the conversation that was going on between Amy and her mom.

"Mom, why are you acting like this? I _told_ you that there was only half an hour left. Why couldn't you just let me stay?" we all heard Amy say.

Her mom was harder to hear because she seemed to be making more of an effort to keep her voice down. Still, I could make out most of it."Amy— I just thought— you might want to leave………don't you have to get up early tomorrow?" Amy's mom answered anxiously.

"No I _don't_," we heard Amy answer. "You're just acting like this because— because—" Amy seemed unwillingly to finish her sentence.

Suddenly, Angel, with a sigh, got up off of my dad's lap. She bit her lip, brushed off her skirt, and smiled. Then she turned around and held her hand out. My dad took it with a sigh of his own and stood up. Still holding hands, the two of them walked over to the front door.

"Amy sweetie?" Kathleen and I heard Angel say sweetly. The two of us quietly got off the couch and crept over to the side of the door so that we could see everything that was going on. "Why don't you go and finish the movie with Carlie and Kathleen?"

"Umm………okay," Amy replied nervously, looking anxiously from Angel and my dad to her mother. Amy walked over to the family room. As soon as she entered it, I grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the side of the door with us. She quickly took my lead and turned around to watch the adults with us.

"So," Angel said with a smile to Amy's mom, while still holding my dad's hand, "First of all, this is Collins, my _husband_."

"Hi," my dad said. He looked as if he was trying very hard to hold back laughter.

"Hello," Amy's mom said stiffly.

"Anyway," Angel went on, "I'm not _that_ stupid."

"W—what?" Amy's mom stuttered. "I didn't— I mean— Ex-_cuse_ me?"

"I just mean," Angel continued, "That I can tell, very easily, when someone doesn't like me because of who I am."

"I never said—" Amy's mom began.

"Honey, you have a problem with Collins and me being gay."

Personally, I wasn't too surprised about Angel's blatancy, but Amy and her mom's eyes both opened wide with shock. My dad continued to fight back laughter, and it seemed as if Kathleen was also about to laugh.

"Now, I don't really know _why_ you have a problem with that," Angel continued. "I mean, I'm a person. A very _good_ one too, if I do say so myself. I don't _think_ that I've ever done anything to hurt you or your daughter. I didn't try to impose 'dangerous ways of thinking' (Angel made quotation marks with her finger around those words) on Amy. Actually, I think that Carlie, Collins, and I have done a very good job on opening up Amy's mind. She's going to have a much easier time getting through life and cooperating with different types of people now than she did a month ago."

"I— you— you have no right—" Amy's mom started to sputter.

"Sweetie, listen. This is life. Not everyone grows up to be perfect have a picture perfect family. Because if they did, life would be _incredibly_ boring. So don't try to get everyone to act the same. It won't work. And personally, I don't _want_ to act like everyone else. Now, I believe that Amy wanted to finish the movie with Carlie and Kathleen. I suggest that you let her, because now neither of you have any reason to leave immediately."

And with that, Angel gave Amy's mom one last smile before quickly kissing my dad on the cheek. With a squeal, I ran up to Angel and gave her a big hug as my dad finally burst out laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.

"So, can I stay mom?" asked Amy with a huge smile.

"Well— yes. Fine," her mom answered stiffly. This time Amy squealed. Then she ran over to Kathleen, who gave her a huge hug while laughing hysterically.

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A couple of hours later, I was sitting on my bed reading, still fighting back the huge smile that kept coming across my face. After I had been reading for a few minutes, Angel came into my room.

She didn't say anything; she just walked over to my dresser and picked up my comb. Then, she sat down cross-legged behind me on the bed and slowly started to comb out my wet hair. It was something that she had used to do every night when I was little, but now I always did it myself. Even though I had already combed my hair myself that night, I didn't say anything.

The two of us were quite for a little while. I could feel her loosely braid my hair, just for the sake of combing it through again.

"Angel?" I asked suddenly putting my book down.

"Mm hmm?" she answered tiredly, still playing with my hair.

"Thanks," I told her quietly.

She stopped combing my hair, and her voice grew more alert. "For what honey?" she asked.

"Just— just for you know, shouting at Amy's mom and stuff. I didn't really think that anything bad was going to happen."

"Oh sweetie," Angel said to me softly. I turned around so that my body was facing her, but I didn't look at her eyes. She was in her pajamas, which meant completely out of drag and makeup. "_Nothing_ bad happened tonight."

"But— but Amy's mom………and you had to stand up for yourself………and— and I just didn't think that that would happen."

"Honey," Angel said, putting her hand on my head and running her fingers through my hair. I looked up at her. "There's _nothing_ wrong with that. Carlie, you did a _really_ good thing tonight. Amy's not like she used to be, is she? I don't think she's going to be that prejudiced anymore, sweetie."

"Well, no………" I answered.

"And I _think_ that her mom will think twice before not liking people because they're gay, don't you?" she asked with a smile. I laughed.

"Yeah, I think so," I answered, still smiling.

"Good," Angel said to me. "You ready for bed?" I nodded. "Okay," she answered. I put my book on my night table and crawled into bed. "'Night Carlie," Angel said to me as she gave me a hug.

"'Night Angel. Love you." She walked over to the door, turned out the light, and started walking out.

"Love you too, honey," Angel answered.

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**Wow! I finished it! Finally! Yay! I love you guys all so, so much!**


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